BOSTON -- With the third death in a year linked to weight-loss operations, Massachusetts will assemble a panel of experts to review the procedures.

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A separate investigation focuses on last week's death of a 37-year-old man at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Howard Reid went into cardiac arrest two days after surgeons put a silicone band around his stomach to restrict his food intake.

So far, hospital officials have been tight-lipped about the incident, but that's difficult for the victim's family, who are looking for answers.

"We are saddened by the death of Howard Reid, and our sympathies go out to his family. We reported his death to the Department of Public Health and are cooperating fully with them," the hospital said in a statement.

At 320 pounds, Howard Reid decided weight-reduction surgery was the answer to his persistent weight problems, even though his family begged him not to do it.

"He wanted this operation so that he wouldn't come down with any kind of diabetes, hypertension, you know. They say the bigger you are you are at risk. He wanted to be around for his son and his kids," said Reid's wife, Yolanda Mason-Reid.

"I know it was for the better, but I didn't want him to put himself through that. He was comfy and he was warm," Reid's daughter Tanzania said.

Reid opted for a procedure known as stomach banding, considered less risky than stomach stapling, which has resulted in two deaths in Boston and Providence, R.I., since last fall. The computer technician and part-time security guard checked into Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center last Tuesday and died two days later.

His crisis somehow was triggered by his awakening during the procedure, when he pulled out his tubing.

Reid's wife said she's been getting no answers to her questions.

"How long has he been without oxygen? I don't know. How long has he been brain dead? I don't know. How did he get into a position to pull the tubes out? I don't know," Yolanda Mason-Reid said.

For the state Department of Public Health, the incident has been a red flag. Commissioner Christine Ferguson said she is calling for a systematic review of weight-loss surgery to examine where it is that things are going wrong.

"The goal ultimately is to insure that the medical error rate is zero," Ferguson said.

The Department of Public Health does not think the situation is serious enough to call for a moratorium on all weight-loss surgery, although the commissioner said anyone considering such a procedure should thoroughly do their homework before having it done.

A spokeswoman said there's not necessarily an overall problem. She said the expert panel will focus on the outcomes of weight-loss surgery and is expected to offer recommendations within three months.